Who am I?

I am thrilled to join Senator Cory Booker, Congressman Bill Pascrell, Freeholders Bruce James and TJ Best, and the local Democratic candidates throughout Passaic County on the ballot this year!

I was born and raised in NJ, and am an attorney with a solo practice in Hawthorne, where I have lived for 12 years. I graduated with Honors from Rutgers College with a double major in Psychology and Spanish, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. I received my J.D. from Rutgers Law School – Newark, and was awarded its Pro Bono Service Award. I also hold a Certificate in Equal Employment Opportunity Studies from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

I am a member of the Board of Trustees at Passaic County Community College. I am also the chairman of the Hawthorne Democratic Organization and a founder and trustee of the Hawthorne Historical Society. I was a delegate to the 2012 Democratic National Convention, and was chosen as Whip of the NJ delegation. I have also served on the Executive Committee of Garden State Equality, as a contributor to BlueJersey.com, and a leader of both DFA-NJ and the local DFA group in Passaic County.

But, more important than anything else, I enjoy being a husband, a father, a son, a brother, an uncle, a godfather, and a good friend and neighbor to the people in my life.

Why am I running?

I have been an active volunteer for countless campaigns locally and around the state, and I ran an exciting race for Council in my own town of Hawthorne last year. Against all partisan odds, our team last year outperformed expectations, and I'm ready to get back on the campaign trail countywide. I want to help make Passaic County an even better place to live for all its residents, and the County Clerk's office, which plays a major roll in all our lives, is a great place to start.

My Goals

My top two goals for my first year in office are to make the Clerk's office more accessible to every community in Passaic County, and to improve our Mail-in Ballot participation rate. New Jersey has had a vote-by-mail program for years now, but the participation rate has been slow to grow. And with a concerted effort nationwide by the Republican party to suppress voters, the County Clerk's office is the last place we should be electing Republicans.

My DFA Values

I have been an active DFA volunteer, organizer, and leader since its inception. I've trained with the DFA Academy multiple times, and volunteered for DFA-endorsed candidates up and down the state. Democracy for America has been among the strongest influences for me to get involved in politics, and I wholeheartedly share the values of community, security and liberty, which are not just national issues, but local issues as well.

My Campaign is People Powered!

In 2010, when a group of DFA members and I ran our people-powered campaign to organize our local Democratic party, we proved that people power can overcome entrenched interests, and win against any odds. This year, my campaign against an incumbent Republican will be fueled by volunteers from across Passaic County - and by my running mates and I joining our volunteers in going door to door to meet the voters we hope to represent. We'll be actively using social media as well to connect person by person until we reach our vote goal, and beyond.

About the Endorsement Process

The driving force behind all DFA endorsements is our members. We recognize that all politics is local and that what is considered progressive in Los Angeles may be very different from what's considered progressive in Louisville. For this reason, DFA does not have a litmus test of specific progressive positions for which a candidate must stand. Our endorsement is heavily weighted based on these questions:

• Will the candidate move the progressive movement forward in their community?
• Does the candidate have substantial support from our local members?
• Do the candidate's positions and policies fit into the broader progressive movement?
• Is the campaign people-powered and the candidate working to win?

If you have questions, or want to let us know about a candidate in your neighborhood, please call us at (802) 651-3200 or email us at [email protected] .